Connected Letters, Connected Thinking: Why Waldorf Still Teaches Cursive Writing – and How It All Begins in Kindergarten
In many modern classrooms, handwriting—particularly cursive writing—is becoming a thing of the past. Left out of curricula like the Common Core, it is often replaced with early keyboarding skills, worksheet-based learning, or digital activity books.
But at our Waldorf school, we take a different path—one grounded in over a century of educational insight. For more than 50 years, we have taught cursive writing through to Grade 7. While our world becomes ever more digitised, we continue to believe that writing by hand, and cursive in particular, is vital to whole-child development. And it all begins—not with a pencil, but in Kindergarten.
Foundations of Writing in the Kindergarten Years
In the Waldorf Kindergarten, you won’t find children tracing letters or filling out worksheets. You’ll find them kneading dough, painting with broad strokes, finger knitting, playing clapping games, and moving rhythmically through songs and stories. These seemingly simple activities are laying the neurological and physical groundwork for all future literacy.
Before a child can write, they must develop:
- Fine motor control
- Eye-hand coordination
- A sense of rhythm and pattern
- Strong oral language skills
- Postural strength and balance
These skills are embedded in our daily rhythms. Each drawing, movement game, or craft is gently and playfully preparing the child’s body and brain to one day translate thought into written form.
Why Cursive Still Matters in the Grades
By the time our students begin formal writing in the grades, their hands are ready—and so are their minds. We teach joined cursive writing as the standard script, not as an add-on or optional extra. But why cursive, and why so consistently?
Research shows that cursive writing activates both hemispheres of the brain—something neither print writing nor typing can do. This right-left brain synergy supports improved language skills, memory, and even creative thinking. In fact, studies of Einstein’s brain found unusually strong connections between both hemispheres—highlighting the value of integrated brain activity.
Cursive writing also:
- Builds writing fluency through its flowing motion
- Encourages children to think in whole words, not just letters
- Reduces letter reversals like b/d and u/n
- Reinforces spelling through muscle memory
- Strengthens fine motor skills and self-regulation
Cursive and Children with Learning Differences
For children with dyslexia or dysgraphia, cursive offers a unique support system. The continuous flow of writing helps stabilise spelling and reduces confusion around letter formation. The International Dyslexia Association recommends cursive as part of a multisensory approach to reading and writing—something Waldorf education has long recognised.
The pen doesn’t need to stop moving, and neither do the thoughts. As a result, children with processing or language difficulties often find that cursive makes writing more accessible, not less.
A Slower Pace with Deeper Purpose
In Waldorf education, we resist the pressure to rush children into early academics or screen-based learning. Instead, we offer them the time and tools to grow into themselves fully and naturally.
From the rhythmic movements of early childhood to the flowing lines of cursive writing in the grades, we honour the connection between body, brain, and soul. Writing becomes more than a mechanical skill—it becomes a vehicle for thinking, for remembering, and for expressing the inner life of the child.
Connected letters lead to connected thinking.
And that’s why, at our school, we still teach cursive writing—and always will.